


Ladybug's Cat : Rewrite AU

by Glimare



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Miraculous Rewrite AU, Original Akuma, Rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-05-16 09:00:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19314934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glimare/pseuds/Glimare
Summary: The beginning of the Rewrite AU (details at the end ;])A year ago, Marinette picked up a black cat way more intelligent than he should be. One year nearly to the day, a classmate turned into a stone monster and a set of earrings appeared in her room. She thought the talking bug-mouse was the weirdest part, but when her cat starts talking, she's almost certain she lost it. Then he turns into a human boy.Her cuddly housecat became a magical human superhero and she's expected to work with him to save Paris.This... is just a little too much for her. HELP!





	1. My Cat is a Little Weird

**Author's Note:**

> First off, this is currently NOT on Fanfiction.net but is on my DeviantArt page (same name). Not sure if what I have planned will work with that site...  
> Second off, this is an AU I created (idea's probably been done before :/) and am willing to share, with a few exceptions. I'll explain those rules at the end of the 5 chapters setting up the universe.  
> Thirdly, welcome to Miraculous Mondays! This will take a while to fully post and edit so bear with me. One chapter/story per day in this fandom. Hopefully, if I keep a schedule, I'll write more. *laughs at own pitiful dedication* This also gives you rights to haunt me if I forget to post without good reason.  
> 5 posts for this part of the story and I'll post my rules at the end of the last one.  
> Enjoy!

“Mrewow.”

“Hmmmgm...”

“MROW!”

“Quiet Kitty...” Marinette tried to roll over and ignore her cat, but it didn’t work. The black tom kept meowing as loudly as he could, pouncing from one side of her to the other and some times pushing on her face with his paws. Kitty never used his claws on her or her things, but he was rather pushy whenever he wanted attention, and he really wanted attention that morning. “Kitty… come on! I just wanna sleep...”

“Mro.” Kitty leapt onto her stomach, glaring his bright green eyes straight at her sleeping face. Sometimes she could swear that cat answered her. He certainly was more intelligent than most cats, and that was saying something. He jumped lightly on her stomach a few times, meowing constantly. Ugh… why couldn’t he just be a cuddly kitten like when she first found him last year? Now he was so demanding and always waking her up for school and -

School?

Eyes shot open and she jerked her head towards the clock on her far wall. No no no no NO!  Kitty leapt off her stomach and onto her side table, tapping her phone urgently. She unconsciously turned off her alarm, again! “EEEP!”

Clumsily, Marinette tumbled out of her bed and onto the loft floor, scrambling to get ready. “Thanks Kitty! You’re a real life saver!”

She didn’t see her black cat let out a long sigh and settle on the side table next to her phone as she ran around her room for everything she needed to prepare for her first day of the new term. This year she was determined to not be beaten down by Chloe and be the best she could be! Having Kitty last year actually was a step in the right direction, especially with how much he followed her around back then, but he couldn’t solve all her problems.

He just tended to bring her small things she forgot.

And pointed out which problems were wrong in her homework.

And made sure she got up on time.

And reminded her when she was supposed to go somewhere.

And he seemed to have a good eye for materials and colors when she was working on her designs, nudging them or her towards each other.

And whenever she forgot to eat, he would start sitting on her projects or work until she fed herself and him.

And whenever she felt down because of Chloe, he was always there to cuddle and purr her sadness away.

Really, that cat was the best stroke of luck she ever had. And he sure was a weird one. Marinette looked back to Kitty, batting at her phone and otherwise keeping himself preoccupied as she washed up and changed clothes for the day. Just a few minutes ago he was doing everything in his power to wake her up and get her attention, and now he was ignoring her entirely. Kitty loved to steal her croissants, when she was upstairs, but he never dared to go into the bakery – which was a good thing because if he ever did, Papa said they would have to get rid of him. He only ever played with one ball of yard and kept giving her weird looks when she had a laser pointer out. And she could swear she caught Kitty reading her textbooks every now and again. The only times he acted like a normal cat was when they had catnip around and he didn’t realize it. If they so much as said ‘catnip’ though, he disappeared somewhere until he thought it was safe.

Kitty was just a weird kitty.

Still, Marinette loved her pet kitty cat she couldn’t find a good name to. Despite calling him several different names, the only one he responded to was ‘Kitty’. So Kitty stayed Kitty, and no one was the wiser. Giggling to herself, she called up to her cat. “I’m dressed now. You can look.”

Kitty looked over to her from the corner of his eye first before getting up and grabbing her phone in his mouth, leaping off the table and running over to her with it. She giggled some more watching him, knowing he was just making sure she had her phone that day. She took it and scratched him behind his ears, getting a purr out of him and eyes that seemed to smile at her lovingly. He absolutely loved it when she pet him or picked him up or gave him cuddles, and he was even happier when he was acknowledged for his efforts to help. Thankfully he never tried to help with dead mice or birds. “Thanks, Kitty.”

Come to think of it, he never liked to be around birds. Kitty seemed to run away when one popped up. Weird cat.

Thoughts aside, she opened the trap door and both of them headed downstairs to the family kitchen to face the day. Mamam seemed to let out a thankful sigh at the sight of her down earlier than normal. “Good morning, Marinette.”

“Morning, Mamam!” Before even trying to dish out her own meal, Marinette went for the can of salmon she had in store for Kitty and opened it for him, setting it on the ground. Kitty meowed his thanks and went at it without any complaints, making him just as weird as ever. Weren’t cats supposed to be picky eaters? But Kitty just ate whatever he was given, then tried to swipe a croissant when no one was looking. As a thank you for waking her up in time though, she placed one next to the can and got a very happy meow and purr. He really earned it this time.

Mamam noticed. “Had a kitty alarm this morning?”

She nodded and started fixing her meal, less in a rush than she used to be. “Yeah. I don’t know if he knew it was the first day of school or if he was just hungry.”

“I’m betting Kitty knows a lot more about what’s happening here than we think.” Mamam scratched Kitty’s back briefly, getting another purr as he ate his food diligently. He always ate all of it, and in one sitting. “Some even say they’re smarter than humans.”

“If Kitty can get me to pass physics, then he’s at least smarter than me.” Carefully, Marinette went through her meal, sure to keep everything clean instead of a mess. That was the last thing she needed. “I swear, he read my textbooks last term and started pointing out every problem I got wrong.”

“Maybe he’s magic.”

“Mamam...” She rolled her eyes at the idea. Yeah, Kitty was weird, but magic? That wasn’t even real!

Her mother shrugged. “Black cats were said to be witches’ familiars, Marinette. Maybe he didn’t want to work for a witch anymore and thought being a house cat would be better.”

“Why not make him an alien adviser to a reincarnated princess then?” Familiar, talking alien cat, what difference did it make? Kitty was Kitty, and she was glad to have him. He kept her mind off Chloe at least and brightened her day when that brat was around.

Mamam giggled. “Are you planning on putting a sticker on his head?”

“Mrow...”

Kitty’s angry growl made the two of them giggle. He clearly did not like the idea of having a sticker on his head. Smart as he was, he hadn’t started talking with human words yet, and with how much he meowed at them, he probably wouldn’t stop talking if he could. Marinette leaned down and scratched behind his ears, getting a purr as she comforted him. “Don’t worry, Kitty. I haven’t put stickers on animals since I was eight. You’re safe.”

He seemed to smile up at her briefly, then went back to his meal. She giggled again, looking at her cat playfully. “Course, if you could talk or turn into a really hot guy, I wouldn’t mind it too much. Then I could actually take you to school and you could really help me with my homework.”

For some reason the cat’s ears drooped and he seemed to slow down. Marinette cocked her head to the side, curious about his sudden mood change. But she shrugged it off. Kitty was weird, but she loved him anyway.

–

Marinette trudged up her stairs after school with a groan. Today was just the worst! Well, not the worst, but definitely one of her worst days. She dropped her box of macaroons twice and only gave out two of the two dozen: one to an old man who nearly collapsed on the street and the other to a new classmate named Alya. She seemed nice, if a little superhero crazed. Chloe started throwing her weight around immediately, already telling people how her daddy was the mayor and everyone should do what she says. Then Kim said something to Ivan that set the gentle giant off and now suddenly he was some kind of rock monster chasing Kim! And Alya was chasing Ivan with her phone! Just when she thought she was about to get a new friend, she turned out to be a little crazier than she wanted.

Sighing, she opened the trapdoor to her room and wasn’t much surprised to see her Kitty waiting for her eagerly, his green eyes bright and shining. Marinette smiled at her cat and ran her hand past his ears as she came into the room. He purred in greeting and bounded after her as she went to her desk to drop her homework off and figure out what to do next. “Hey Kitty. Care to guess what happened today?”

“Mreow.” Kitty leapt onto the desk, tapping her mouse as if expecting her to goof off or get straight to work on her homework there.

Her cat knew her a little too well. Little worried for Alya and what was going on with Ivan, Marinette started bringing up a live news feed. “One of my classmates, Ivan, big guy, got turned into… some kind of rock monster. Like one of those youma Malakite used in season one. A new girl, Alya, she went chasing after him to record it or something. She’s really brave. But… how can anyone stop Ivan?”

She watched the computer screen as her parents’ friend she babysat for talked about the ‘monster’ wrecking a football field as he tried to get his hands on Kim. France wasn’t exactly known for having superheroes, but that was what they needed now or they’d just be known for strange supervillains. “I mean, he’s just a kid like me. I don’t think he wanted to be a giant rock monster either. He’s always so quiet and helpful. Kim’s arrogant and an idiot jock, but he’s also a bit of a goofball. He usually doesn’t pick on people, just makes really stupid bets and is full of himself. He shouldn’t be threatened by some rock monster.

“Oh Kitty, I’m really worried about them.” Marinette fell into her chair and stared at the screen, both worried and scared for so many reasons. A monster around was bad, but it was also her classmates! She knew these people! Criminals and monsters were supposed to be someone else, someone she never met. It was all supposed to be over there, not on her doorstep. “What’s going to happen to them now?”

“Mrow...” Her cat seemed to watch her for a bit, uneasy, before leaping off her desk and knocking lightly some box he was blocking from view until then. It caught her eye immediately, throwing all her earlier thoughts aside.

Where did this box come from? It wasn’t hers, but it did kind of look like something her mother would own. Curious, she picked it up and opened it. “What’s this – AH!”

A bright red light appeared above it, startling her to drop the box and jolt away. The light turned into a red and black spotted bug-mouse thing floating in the air. The strange creature tried to introduce itself to her, but Marinette was in such a panic, she didn’t really listen and started throwing things at it. Eventually she caught the thing in a jar on the ground and it started talking anew. The kwami Tikki calmly explained what she was and what Ivan turned into and that she was selected to be Ladybug, the hero of Paris, capable of capturing the akuma and freeing her classmate from it’s evil influence.

“All you have to do is put on the earrings and say ‘spots on’ and you’re on your way.”

“This is insane.” Marinette looked over to her cat, begging for him to somehow make this seem less nuts. Then again, she was talking to a cat. “Isn’t this insane? It’s insane.”

Kitty just seemed to roll his eyes, watching her from her vanity. Why was she trying to get a second opinion from a cat again? Shaking her head, she tried to convince the kwami she had the wrong girl. “I’m not cut out to be a superhero. I’m just going to mess things up. You know who’d make a good superhero? Alya! This new girl in my class. She’s crazy about superheroes and -”

“I know it seems hard, Marinette,” Tikki insisted, “but you were selected for a reason. The Guardian thought you were the best person for the job and you never know for sure until you try.”

“But look at me!” She spun around, just so Tikki could see her in action and completely, and tripped the second she tried to stop. “I’m just a normal girl with average grades and very clumsy limps. I have the worst luck ever! I mean, my biggest break in luck is getting a black cat as a pet. A black cat! No offense, Kitty.”

Kitty yawned, watching and getting bored by the conversation.

“But I’m no good for this. You need someone else, someone who can do everything you need without screwing up all the time. I’m just not right for this.”

“Marinette,” Tikki flew up to her face, a mothering tone in her voice, “you never know until you try. It wasn’t easy for any Ladybug before you, and many thought they were failures when they gave up the earrings, but they did their bests and are heroes all throughout history. All because they tried.

“Don’t give up until after you try. Ivan’s depending on you.” The kwami pointed to the screen, sadness in her eyes. “Do you really think the police can save him? They don’t know how to take care of the akuma, or even know what it is. As far as they’ll know, Ivan is a monster and needs to be taken down like one.

“Please, Marinette. You’re his only chance.”

The weight of the world fell upon the fourteen year old’s shoulders, and she honestly didn’t think she could handle it. She held onto herself for dear life, terrified. She was bound to screw up, and then Ivan would be the one to suffer, along with Paris. She didn’t want that. She needed help!

“You won’t be alone, Marinette.” Tikki smiled kindly, maybe reading her mind as she came closer to her. “Chat Noir will be with you. While you have the power of creation, he has the power of destruction and will fight by your side no matter what. You’ll always have backup and he’ll do everything he can to support you.”

Her kitty meowed in approval, but it didn’t help her much. She shook her head, still scared. “Why can’t he do it then? Chat Noir can save Paris. I’ll just get in the way.”

“Only Ladybug can purify the akuma and reverse the damage. Please Marinette. At least try this once.”

Tikki’s pleading and promises continued in her head as she looked back to the computer screen. Ivan was in trouble. Paris was in danger. She could save it, but she probably would screw things up. But, there really wasn’t anyone else at the moment who could take up the earrings. Sighing, Marinette went back to the box she dropped and looked at the simple studs. Well, she did have pierced ears, she just didn’t have any favorite earrings she could wear anywhere. They didn’t look bad either. It was just the power behind them she wasn’t sure about.

Biting her lip, she went to her mirror and started switching them with the studs she was wearing that day. “So, what do I have to do again?”

Tikki flew next to her, elated. “Find the akumatized object and destroy it. Then something will fly out of it, likely a purple butterfly. You capture it for purification with your yoyo! There’s also your Lucky Charm and Miraculous Cure. If you’re in a sticky situation, call on the Lucky Charm and it’ll give you an object that can help you come up with a sure way to get the akuma. But once you use it, you’ll only have five minutes of transformation before you’re back to being Marinette. Once you’ve purified the akuma, release the object to the sky and call out ‘Miraculous Ladybug’ and everything will be reverted to the way it was before the akuma attacked. Unless something was created, but that’s rare. If you need to, you can use the cure before purifying the akuma, but you may risk the akuma getting away so don’t do it too often.”

“Right.” It was a lot to take in. “And how do I change?”

“Just say ‘spots on’!”

“Spots on?”

“That’s it!” In a flash, Tikki disappeared into the earrings and red and pink lights surrounded her. Her usual clothes magically became red spandex with black spots, a yoyo suddenly at her waist and a matching mask on her face. 

Looking at herself in the mirror, Marinette could hardly believe it. There wasn’t a zipper or a button on the entire suit. It was like a second skin and armor at the same time. She wasn’t even wearing boots! “This is… just too weird!”

_“And incredibly simple! I can’t decide if you’re more like Spiderman or Sailor Moon right now.”_

Marinette froze, then jerked around, looking for the new voice. It was definitely male so not Tikki. And close. But the only other person in her room was her cat. Kitty seemed to grin, watching her in admiration. _“The transformation makes me think Usagi, but the spandex? Kinda like Peter. Course, he wore it for a completely different reason. Can’t say that doesn’t mean it looks good on you or anything, but wow. I thought you’d try for something more in fashion, Mari.”_

And it looked like he was talking. “Kitty? Are you -”

_“You can actually hear me?!”_ The cat stiffened, eyes shining on her and elated beyond all reason. If cats smiled, he was grinning from ear to ear.

“Are… you… the one talking?” She pointed at him in shock. First a flying, talking bug-mouse told her to be a superhero and save Paris from her classmate turned monster, and now… now her black cat was talking?

_“YES!”_ Overjoyed, Kitty leapt off the vanity and onto the ground, spinning around once to get out some energy. _“Oh thank you God! Or what ever you kwami’s are! That old man wasn’t kitting!”_

“Old man?” Okay, everything was starting to go in one ear and out the other. Her kitty was talking. Her kitty was talking! Cats don’t talk! She was just kidding that morning!

_“Claws out!”_

Seriously! She was just joking around earlier!


	2. My Cat is Seriously Not Normal!

Something black seemed to fly out from Marinette’s knitting and get sucked into something on the cat’s right front ankle, and in a flash of electric green lightning, her little black cat turned into a teenaged black leather clad boy a little taller than her. Blond hair, fair skin, and bright green eyes, he looked more like Catwoman than she could ever be. He even had a zipper going down his front and cat ears pinned to his hair. Yet he also had a wild, excited grin, reminding her of the playful cat she had for the past year.

This was her kitty?

Jaw stuck open, Marinette just stared at the boy suddenly in front of her. The catboy leaned forward, as if tripping, but then caught himself before he could invade her space. “Wow. Legs. Two legs. Hands! Arms! Man, it’s gonna be hard getting back used to this! Fingers!”

The elated boy just grinned, looking at his hands as if they were miracles. A black and green ring sat on his right hand as he flexed it, maybe getting some feeling in them. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to live with paws? I had to use two of them to grip anything! I was better off just using my mouth almost every time.”

“… Kitty?”

“That’s me!” ‘Kitty’ grinned at her, very excited and ready to laugh at any second. “Course I have a better name for you to use. It’s AHHhhhhggghhfffpht! Dang it!”

The catboy gripped his neck as if he were choking for a moment and then glared out the window. “Stupid akuma. I still can’t tell you who I am! And I’m human again!”

“What… is going on...” This was too much. Marinette was ready to call it quit and forget this day even existed. Her classmate did not turn into a rock monster, she did not have a long conversation with a bug-mouse insisting she was a superhero, and she definitely did not just see her cat turn into a boy who almost coughed up a hairball.

‘Kitty’ sighed, somewhat frustrated for some reason. “A lot. I’ll explain what I can later. We’ve got an akuma to defeat. Just keep those earrings on or I won’t be able to talk to you at all. Come on.”

“Huh?”

Not waiting for her to say yes or no, the catboy took her hand and led her straight to her skylight. “W…wait! Who… who are you?! What’s going on?! What’s even real?!”

“Oh… Right…” The catboy stopped on the steps and looked back to her guiltily. “Little too much too fast, isn’t it… Right…”

“You think?” This was seriously too much for her. She just agreed to try fighting and saving her classmate, and suddenly her cat turned into a boy! Who wouldn’t be taken for a spin here!

The boy at least had the sense to look ashamed. He rubbed his free hand over the back of his neck nervously. “Yeah… it is a lot. I just got really excited there. Okay, let’s just focus on the moment? I’m Chat Noir, your partner in taking care of akumas. There’s a lot more to it… and the whole pet cat thing… but for now, let’s just focus on the fact that your classmate is currently a monster and we need to get the akuma away from him before things get really bad. You can purify it, I can destroy the item it’s in. No idea what the item is, but I’m sure between my analytical mind and your creative genius we can find it and save Paris.

“Shall we, Ladybug?” He made it sound like an offer, but with the grip he had on her wrist, it was clear he wasn’t really going to let her back down. Chat Noir was even shaking, whether from excitement or from fear was really the question.

“I… I guess…” Relief seemed to swarm his face, his smile returning in force.

“Good. Let’s get going.” He lightly jumped onto her bed and pushed the door open above them before briefly releasing her to go up first. Then he offered his hand down to her to help her out. “Oh, and if you really want all those explanations I promised later, please don’t take those earrings off. I can’t talk to you if you’re not wearing them, and neither can your kwami. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m able to be understood by anyone but you right now.”

Marinette just followed him up, in too much shock to actually object anymore. “This is just weird.”

“Tell me about it. Um… which way to that stadium? I don’t really get out much.”

The red clad girl pointed straight across the balcony, knowing exactly where Ivan chased Kim to. Getting there was going to be fun, but Chat Noir seemed up for it. “Right. Think we should come up with a strategy before getting there, or wing it?”

He took out his baton and pressed a button on it, making it longer immediately. Little confused by what he did, she looked to her hip and the yoyo there. Something in her head told her to use it to get there faster. Well, ‘Kitty’ seemed to know what he was doing with the baton. Maybe she knew what to do with this yoyo too.

Or maybe she was just nuts.

-

“We need to capture that butterfly!” Chat Noir pointed to the fluttering insect just as it passed Marinette’s eyes. Realization struck her immediately, getting her thoughts back to what Tikki said. Capture the akuma, purify it, miraculous cure, Paris safe.

“Right.” Quickly she opened up her yoyo, following her instincts again, and threw it at the cause of their problems. She snagged it instantly and soon opened the container back up, revealing a white one in place of a purple one. “Bye-bye little butterfly.”

She grabbed the polkadotted item she made somehow not that long ago and threw it into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

Millions of magical ladybugs seemed to swarm the air, going over every bit of damage and making it as good as new. She even saw people’s injuries heal as if it never happened. It really was miraculous. “Wow...”

“Wow is right.” Chat Noir stopped by her side, grinning and offering a fist. “Well done, Ladybug.”

She smiled right back and pressed her fist against his. “You too, Kitty. I mean, Chat Noir.”

His grin got even wider at the praise, but immediately faded the second they heard some beeping from his ring. “Ah crap. The timer’s going out. Yours too. We need to jet. Meet you by the vending machine outside?”

“Ah…” Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Less than five minutes to get away, and it would take twenty to make it home on foot. Then again, Chat Noir was her Kitty, right?

But he just grinned at her and ran off in a completely different direction. “See you in ten.”

“Hey! Miss Superhero! Hey!”

Marinette wanted to run after the catboy partner of hers, but Alya’s voice made her turn around. Her phone was still recording and focused on her, and so was her grin. “That was amazing! But we have to know, who are you? What was that thing? How did you get your powers? Who’s that hot partner of yours? How old are you?”

That was a lot of questions, and it didn’t look like Alya was going to stop any time soon. And she really had to leave, fast. So she answered one question, the first one. “Ladybug. You can call me Ladybug. See you!”

With that, she threw out her yoyo and flew through the air to get anywhere but where she was. Two minutes later she dropped into a back alley, mere seconds before her final beep. Within a second that red pink light flashed around her, returning her to her natural state and sending Tikki flying out into reality. The kwami was grinning as brightly as Chat Noir and her new classmate. “That was amazing, Marinette! You really got a handle on it!”

“Only because Chat Noir was there reminding me what to do.” She honestly forgot about purifying the akuma until the boy pointed it out. If he hadn’t, the butterfly would have fluttered away. She’d be useless on her own. “Kitty is always reminding me of things…”

“He only remembered because he heard the instructions twice. And since it was your first time, you were bound to make mistakes.” Tikki’s chipper voice did not make what she said any easier to take. “But you did a great job! You got the akuma and your classmate is back to normal! Everyone’s okay and all the damage is undone. You did a wonderful job, Marinette.”

“Thanks.” Still worried she was going to mess up, especially without her kitty, Marinette tried to take the compliment. Then she scowled at the kwami. “Hey, did you change my cat into a boy just so he could be my partner?”

“Nope! That was not me.” Tikki smiled nicely for a moment, then seemed to think of something troubling and looked away. What came to her mind to make her act so strange? Course, it wasn’t like she knew the kwami, but still, it was weird! “Chat Noir’s kwami is Plagg, and our owners have always been human. And that is all I can say about him.”

“What do you mean?” This was all still too much for her. Forget the fact she just saved Paris with a catboy from a possessing butterfly, her pet became a man right in front of her! And this floating red thing was supposed to have all the answers.

Tikki sighed. “Kwamis have a spell on us preventing us from revealing our owners’ identities, even other owners to anyone else. So even though Plagg and I know your names, we can’t say them to anyone to reveal your identities. Neither of us can tell you anything about Chat Noir, even if we learn more of the truth about him. It’s a safety precaution in case something happens. Likewise, we can’t tell him anything about you, or anyone else.”

“He’s my cat,” Marinette stated flatly. “He already knows who I am.”

“And he wants to tell you who he is,” Tikki agreed. “He just… can’t. He can’t tell anyone. Not even us.”

This was getting way too weird. Sighing, the girl rubbed her head and started walking home. This really wasn’t the job for her. She’d have to give up the earrings to someone better suited for it tomorrow at school. Maybe Alya? She’d be into it at least. The tugging of her pigtail made her stop. “Ow! What are you -”

“Aren’t you going to meet Chat Noir by the vending machines?” The kwami’s insistence made her stare. Huh? “He said he’d meet you there! He’s just a small cat most of the time and he doesn’t get out of the house much to know his way around Paris! If you don’t meet him, he’ll get lost! Or taken! Or run over and die!”

She really did not want to think anymore. Tired and confused, her mouth started being careless and cruel. “Can’t he just transform back and poll-vault back to the bakery? I really am tired and it’s getting late and I have homework and -”

“So you’d leave your cat behind?” Tikki scowled at her. “Kwami’s have limited energy. Plagg’s probably starving right now. Chat can’t transform again until he eats, and how is he supposed to get his hands on cheese without you?

“And didn’t he promise he’d explain everything once the akuma was taken care of? Don’t you want to know the truth?”

If Marinette was being completely honest with herself, she was kind of just done and wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with her cat and go to bed. Forget explanations or superheroes or akumas or kwamis, she was just done. But before she could curl up in bed with her cat, she needed to get her cat. It wouldn’t be the same without him. So taking a breath, she turned around and headed towards the stadium again, hoping she remembered where the vending machines he was talking about were.

Within a few minutes, she could see a black cat with a silver ring stuck on his front right leg lounging on top of a soda machine as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His green eyes spotted her almost immediately and he jerked up straight, meowing loudly. _“Marinette! There you are!”_

“Is he talking or meowing?” Marinette looked to Tikki, now in her purse, as Kitty turned to the side to grab something with his mouth before leaping off the machine.

Tikki shrugged. “A little of both. Everyone else will hear a cat meowing, but anyone with a Miraculous or is a kwami will be able to understand him. Akumas won’t though, not in this form.”

“Feed me.”

Huh?

Marinette looked back down to where her Kitty stood, some other cat thing with green eyes carried in his mouth, just like a mama cat with her kitten. Kitty put it down at her feet and looked up sheepishly. _“This is my kwami, Plagg. I’d feed him, really I would, but I kinda can’t carry cheese with me. Not as a cat at least. Honestly, I need to think of some way to get him cheese without draining your pockets. That old man said he liked Camembert. That’s not cheap.”_

“I’m starving here!” The smaller black kitty rolled over dramatically, acting like he was dying. “I need cheese or I will surely waste away and never come back!”

_“And they say normal cats are drama queens.”_ Sarcasm. That was new. Kitty looked up to her a little sheepishly, waiting for Marinette to make the first move. Tikki popped out of the purse and seemed to agree with the cat.

“Plagg’s been this way forever. You should have seen him trying to pass off destroying the dinosaurs back in the day.”

The cat’s eyes widened dangerously. _“Wait, he actually did that? I thought he was just trying to be impressive!”_

“Feeeeed meeee...”

“Quiet!”

All three small creatures with voices only she could hear, froze and stared up at Marinette, who was frankly losing it. This day was just too much! “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, what really just happened, or why all three of you seemed to be best friends all the sudden! I saw one of my classmates turn into a monster, then my cat turn into a boy! I had to fight a giant! An actual giant!”

_“Golem, technically...”_

“I’m tired, I’m sore, and I’m hungry! It’s going to take half an hour to get home and by then it’ll be dark and my mamam and papa will probably be worried sick about me and… and…” Marinette’s hands covered her face as tears started pouring down. Frustration, confusion, exhaustion, everything just kept coming out. How did anyone expect her to be a superhero if she broke down like this so easily? She fell to her knees and sat on the sidewalk, just out of view of others, falling to pieces. “This is… everything’s just… so scared…”

There was silence around her as she cried, unsure of what to do next. It was all just too much! She was not cut out for this, and all of this, all the strangeness, was hitting her all at once and it overwhelmed her. Chloe was right. She wasn’t someone special or great and would never be able to do anything but be a baker’s daughter. She got lucky today as Ladybug, but tomorrow? The day after? If there were more like this, she could never handle it!

And what if her Kitty got hurt? What if they died? Because of her carelessness or clumsiness? She was more a hazard than a hero. Everything would depend on her, especially these three. Kitty was just a cat, his heroism just as much a fluke as hers, and he couldn’t even take care of himself outside the mask. Everything was on her shoulders, and she couldn’t take it!

A paw tentatively put itself on her leg, trying to give her comfort. When she didn’t shake him off, Kitty put both of his paws on her and lay his head on top of them, his way of trying to comfort her without being demanding. Her tears slowed after a minute before she heard his new voice again. _“Yeah, it is scary. Terrifying really. All the changes all at once hitting you. Learning rules you have to follow if you want to survive. Never knowing if you’ll never come home one day. The possibility of dying and no one knowing. It’s terrifying. You just want to go to bed and have it all be a bad dream, but then you wake up and realize it wasn’t. And this is your life now._

_“At least you have a choice in being a hero, Marinette. You can say no.”_

Marinette stilled, hearing two gasps nearby. She could say no. She actually had a choice. She could just give the earrings to Alya tomorrow, give up the whole thing, go back to plain Marinette. It was possible for her. But… 

She looked down to her cat, who wasn’t even looking at her anymore. He looked off into the distance, his face contorted in so much sadness there could be no tears, unblinking. _“You can make all this a bad dream for you, a one off adventure, like those platformers you play. You’re lucky. You can do that. But if you make that choice, I won’t be able to talk to you like this. I’ll just be meowing at you again. I may… even have to leave.”_

“Kitty?” Leave? Kitty would leave? Her heart clenched at the words, hating the idea.

He buried his face into her thigh, hiding his face best he could. _“I’m going to be Chat Noir, no matter what. So that means I’ll have to stay with the person who wears the earrings. I… I can’t take another year of no one understanding me. Not now. Not when I know someone can. Not when I have a chance of fixing things.”_

“Fix things?” Still confused, Marinette tired to make some sense of what he was saying. “What do you mean by fixing things?”

He stayed silent for a moment before looking up at her, eyes pleading in a way she hadn’t seen since they first met. The heartbroken kitten she found around the school last year was so sad and desperate for any kind of comfort stole her heart away with those eyes before, and now he stole it again. He really needed her, and unlike the smaller cat begging for food, he actually meant it.

_“Promise me you won’t take off the earrings? At least long enough for me to tell you everything I can?”_

Marinette’s heart broke for her cat, starting to forget her own fears and anxieties in favor of helping her beloved pet. He needed her. To her, she was the world, or the only light in it. Carefully she scooped up her cat and brought him to her chest for a much needed hug. “I can promise that much, Kitty.”


	3. My Cat Has a Sad Backstory

“Okay,” Marientte started, trying to let all her anxiety out with that breath as she sat on her bed, “start at the beginning.”

“Which beginning?” Plagg eyed her cheekily as he ate the cheddar stick she managed to find for him in her fridge. It’d do for now, but he really was whining for Camembert. Here was the picky eating cat she was expecting with her Kitty. “I know several.”

“Not ours, Plagg!” Tikki chided him like a mother would as she worked on her macaroon. At least her kwami would be easy to feed. Cookies were her fave, but she’d take any sweet pastry to recharge. Maybe she was given to Marinette because she was a baker’s daughter. Take that Chloe! “Chat’s!”

“She needs to be specific, Sugarcube.”

“Stop calling me that, Stinky Sock.”

Already Marinette knew she was going to need headache medicine for these two. Why didn’t they get along? Weren’t they supposed to be partners like her and her kitty? And much older than them? “Can you two just eat in silence? I think I got the jists of it from you two and I don’t think I can take any more of your history right now.

“I need to talk to my cat.”

She swiveled her eyes to Kitty, who was batting dully at her tiger body pillow’s ear, waiting for his turn. Maybe he was nervous, or maybe just being polite, but he wasn’t near as eager to talk as he was when he first transformed into Chat Noir. He became quite silent on the road home, not even purring as she held him close the entire way. Well, he purred in thanks when she gave her promise, but she hadn’t heard a peep from him otherwise. Maybe he could sense she needed some time to think after the rapid-fire exposition after school. This really was a long and confusing day and she really did need some quite time to think.

Now she was calmer, and the kwamis were occupied with food and each other. She could set them aside for now and focus on the biggest problem in the room: her cat. “So… Kitty… Who… no… what are you?”

Kitty sighed and hopped off the pillow, facing her at last. Looking up at her, she could tell he wasn’t feeling the energy from before at all. He barely ate anything earlier either. Maybe he wanted to tell the story first? Did cats get so nervous they couldn’t eat? So many questions! But he ended some very quickly. 

_“I’m a teenaged boy, about your age, under an akuma’s spell.”_

Wut?

Kitty sighed, relaxing a little. _“Glad I was able to say that much. I think the spell also makes it so I can’t say my real name. Tried earlier and only got a hairball. I wonder if I can say anything that can give you my identity.”_

“Wait…” Marinette pointed at him accusatory, almost scowling. “You’re a boy. Under a spell.”

_“Yep. My father is GaAAHHHHhhh…”_ He scowled to the side in frustration. _“Okay… looks like I can’t tell you who my parents are either. How inclusive do you think this spell is?”_

The cat looked over to the kwamis, almost begging them to fill in some blanks. Plagg gave him a flat look, sparing no one. “Very. If I’m right, you can’t even answer questions leading you to ID yourself or anyone related to you. You can’t point out your parents in a crowd or your birthdate on a calendar.”

Kitty glared at the bedsheet below him, very frustrated. _“Just peachy.”_

“You’re a boy,” Marinette repeated, still in shock. “A human boy.”

_“Naturally, yes.”_ Kitty looked back up to her, a little less agitated than before. _“About a year ago, this weird girl, an akuma I’m guessing, appeared in my bedroom calling herself Rewrite. She said she was going to stop me from being Chat Noir no matter what. Apparently I ticked her boss Hawkmoth off too much and he wanted me gone before I even made my debut. Something about getting someone else to take my place, anyone._

_“She opened some notebook, wrote something down, then threw it at me. Next thing I know, I’m a black cat, scared out of my mind. She said she was going to ‘rewrite Ladybug too’, but she vanished before I could even make heads or tails of anything. You didn’t see a strange girl, did you?”_

Numbly, Marinette shook her head, still wrapping her head around the story. Her kitty was a human boy? The cat shrugged. _“Guess someone else was supposed to be Ladybug in her mind or something. I don’t know. She sounded nuts. Anyway, she vanished, and I started meowing a lot, trying to get some help. I… kinda got the attention I wanted… but…”_

Kitty looked down, depressed by the memory. _“My… My father came in and saw me like this, and threw a fit. Mother’s allergic to cats you see, and he’s really protective of her. Me too, or… was…”_ He shook his head, trying to clear it. _“I wasn’t supposed to have any pets. Between my allergy and hers, the only kind we could have would be fish or reptiles, and both are either freaky or boring. I tried to get him to see me… really see me… and…_

_“He threw me out.”_

The words were so soft and heartbroken, Marinette was able to get around the ‘human boy’ factoid. Kitty looked ready to cry, broken like when she first found him. Her heart ached, realizing this was why she found him that way. His own father threw him away.

“Oh, Kitty…” Carefully she picked him up and held him against her shoulder, comforting him like she would a crying baby. Kitty didn’t resist in the slightest, leaning fully against her and shaking slightly. She ran a hand down his head and back, comforting him as best she could. She could only guess how she’d feel if her parents threw her away like that. It wasn’t a good feeling at all.

The cat was silent only for a moment before his voice returned, almost sobbing. _“I know why he did it, I really do, but I was scared. I was really scared. All I wanted… was my father and mother to hold me. To see me. To know who I was. To know I was cursed like this. To keep be around, even if I was only in my room forever. At least… At least then I’d know they were there for me._

_“I… I kept trying to get back inside. Kept trying to see Father. Kept trying…”_ He actually choked on his words, trying to say them and finding it harder with each word. _“But… He threw me out. Over and ov… He didn’t see me. He didn’t know I was… Even when the police came to look for me. He didn’t… He called animal control and…”_

Marinette felt the tension in him as he tried. She could guess what his father was unintentionally planning, and her heart broke. Your father unknowingly planning to kill you would be terrifying for any child, let alone an already scared one. She leaned her head against his, giving him as much comfort as she could. Her poor kitty. No wonder he was in bad shape.

After a shaky breath, he went on. _“I… I ran away. As far as I could. Starving, scared, I somehow wandered to your school and… that’s when you found me. Thank you, Marinette. Thank you for taking me in when I needed you most._

_“You saved my life.”_

Her heart clenched hearing his words, getting her to look at his face once again. His eyes, somehow so human now, looked up to her with both pain and appreciation. There was something else there too, something that warmed her more than anything, but she didn’t think about it. She just knew her kitty was very glad she took him in. _“Everything you’ve done for me, your kindness and courage, thank you, for just being you, Marinette. You’re my hero and my savior. Without you, I’d be dead and Rewrite would have won._

_“I don’t want that to happen. Ever. I don’t want Rewrite, or Hawkmoth, to win. And I don’t think they will, so long as you’re by my side.”_ He nuzzled up to her face, his voice pleading in his heartbroken tone. _“Please, be my Lady to my Chat. I don’t want to leave you or be that scared again.”_

“But,” she started, hesitant, “being Ladybug’s scary.”

_“Being a cat’s scary too.”_

“I don’t think I can do it. I’m not as brave as you.” Her own fears and insecurities reared their heads again, but not near as strongly as before.

_“I’m only brave because of you.”_ He nuzzled into her neck and stayed there, resting against her. _“You’re not alone, and I’m going to do everything I can to help you. It won’t be easy, but I don’t think anything is. All I know is that together, we can win against them. We did today, and we will tomorrow, and the day after, and the week after that. We can do this. Rewrite tried to stop us before we had a chance because we were that annoying to them. Let’s be that annoying again.”_

“The only ways Chat Noir can stay human is if you capture the akuma responsible for his curse or by taking Hawkmoth’s miraculous.” Tikki piping in reminded Marinette the kwamis were there, listening to everything they said. She looked over to her, interested and considering everything said carefully. “My cure cannot reverse the damage of an akuma we haven’t purified. There are a few limits to what Ladybug can do, same with Chat Noir. Without those limits, the effects can be catastrophic. So without the akuma taken care of, or their creator being handled, Chat Noir will remain a cat when he isn’t united with Plagg.”

“Hawkmoth?” That was a name she wasn’t really familiar with. Kitty was the one who brought it up first, and she really wondered why.

The cat nodded, raising his head to look her in the eye better. _“That’s what Rewrite said her master was.”_

“And you remember it? After a year?”

_“I have a very good memory.”_

“And it matches what we already know.” Tikki floated over, fed and ready to debate. “Both the peacock and butterfly miraculous are missing, and the butterfly has the power to make heroes, to act as support to other users. Hawkmoth was a name those users used. Previous users of the butterfly have turned dark and brought akumas out to the open, creating armies of monsters under the right circumstances.”

“Armies?” Terror started back in Marinette’s chest and she even felt Kitty tense in her arms. He didn’t like the idea either.

“Nooroo can only make one at a time,” Plagg interjected, opening another cheddar package. “But if Hawkmoth has the old spell book too and can translate it and break the code, then he might find a way to make multiple akumas. All of which is unlikely. It’s written in Tibetan, and in code, and uses really hard to find ingredients made in very particular ways. The guy would have to be a fully trained guardian to do that, IF he had the book.

“So I highly doubt we’ll have that problem.” The cat kwami flew around their heads, his cheese in hand, before floating next to Tikki. “So chillax! It’s a ‘monster of the week’ thing, guaranteed.”

“What about Rewrite?” Marinette didn’t like the idea of monsters at all. She held onto her cat protectively, not wanting him hurt any more. “Hawkmoth had an akuma today and Rewrite’s out there.”

“Rewrite came from the future.” Tikki’s controlled voice brought the idea forward. That… kind of made sense. “Hawkmoth hasn’t made her yet. At least, the Hawkmoth we know about. Rewrite has likely become dormant, in the back of the victim’s mind or sleeping somewhere in isolation. Honestly, other than one twinge of magic before today, there was no indication of the missing miraculous until today.”

_“One year ago?”_ Kitty’s question brought everything full circle. The kwamis nodded. _“So… Rewrite could only get me before going dormant. She didn’t come near Ladybug.”_

“That’s right.”

Tikki’s statement seemed to bring a smile to the cat’s face. He rested his head against Marinette’s shoulder and for some reason started to purr. _“Good.”_

“How is this good?” Marinette didn’t get it. Why did this make him happy? He was a cat.

He looked up to her, almost lazily. _“That means I was the only one she managed to hurt, and you’re the only Ladybug I have to look out for. I’d hate it if I had to look for another one, especially since she would have turned you into a ladybug and probably gotten you killed that way. Cats can be taken in or survive on the streets. But a ladybug? No matter how smart you are, or how lucky, I don’t think you could have lasted the year. Let alone gotten the earrings to change back every now and again.”_

That thought struck her probably a little harder than intended. Her cat was willing to be just a cat if that meant she was safe. He was willing to lose his family, his humanity, and be scared and starving, if it meant she was safe. Marinette gave him a little squeeze. “But you’re a cat.”

_“I can take it,”_ he murmured. _“Besides, being a cat led me to you. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”_

Flattering as that was, it was still a lot to think about. She had a lot to think about. Letting out a long breath, Marinette looked to the ceiling, wishing it had the answers she needed. Paris needed a Ladybug to fight the akumas; it didn’t have to be her. But Kitty needed her to be Ladybug. He wanted her to be Ladybug.

But could she be the Ladybug they all needed?

“I really need to sleep on this.”

Tikki seemed to smile compassionately, understanding what she needed. “Take your time. You did a very good job today. I doubt Hawkmoth will strike again so soon after a quick defeat.”

“And even if he does,” Plagg piped in, swallowing his cheese whole, “we got at least one kid ready to go. Hopefully he won’t die fighting alone.”

“Plagg!”

“I’m wiped. Got a stinky can to sleep in? This place smells too flowery for my tastes.”

_“Smells great to me,”_ Kitty pipped in, annoyed at his kwami at the slight. Marinette had a feeling this banter would go on forever. Still her kitty didn’t make any move to leave her arms. Always such a strange cat.

“Meh, even enchanted humans have a weird sense of smell. Ah! Just what I’m looking for.” For some reason, the cat kwami flew into one of Marinette’s old gym shoes, the one her mamam declared too small for her earlier that summer. She just hadn’t gotten around to throwing them out yet. “Good night, flowery weirdos! Sleep on it all you like.”

Tikki shook her head and looked back to them. “Don’t mind Plagg. He seems harsh, and cunning, and greedy, and childish, but he means well and will always have our backs. He’s very good at dealing with difficult owners, and can turn selfish pricks into generous knights. Anyone who tries to use his powers for evil tend to destroy themselves because he messes with their heads a lot. But if he likes you, he’s the best ally you can have.”

“You really trust him, huh?” It was kind of strange seeing the two argue earlier, only for them to compliment each other like this.

The kwami smiled. “We came into being at the same time, so we know each other rather well. He’s pretty much my brother. The yang to my yin. He may bug me, but I wouldn’t live without him.”

Tikki settled down on a knitting project she started near her bed and yawned. “Good night, Marinette. Good night, Chat Noir. Sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams, Tikki.” Sighing, Marinette turned and flopped down on her bed, still keeping her kitty in her arms. So much was weighing on her mind, and she wasn’t sure if she could sleep. Forget brushing her teeth, changing into pajamas, or even turning out the light, her exhaustion and mental fatigue were enough keep her in bed forever, cuddling her cat. Remembering him a little more, she looked down to the cat, wondering if he was sleepy at all.

Didn’t seem to matter if he was, because he made no move to leave her grasp. He just met her gaze, steady as a rock. _“Lots to think about, isn’t it?”_

“Yeah…” It really was a lot. Her kitty’s curse, Hawkmoth, Ladybug, akumas, everything weighed down on her. It was just… a lot.

The cat hesitated a bit before saying anything else. _“If you want, I can do all the fighting and you can just cleanse them. I don’t know if it’ll work really well though. I’m not that creative. I don’t think my father kept even one of my drawings growing up. You definitely need more than an analytical mind to take on these guys. Looking back, I can see why it worked, but I never would have come up with your plan. Seemed so ridiculous when you started.”_

“So you don’t think you can do it on your own either, huh?” The cat stopped talking, then shook his head. So her partner was just as scared of screwing up as she was. That actually made her feel better. Smiling, she ran her hand down his back, getting him to purr again. You know, for a boy turned cat, he was more like a cat than a boy. She could just talk to him now and know what he said back. Stilling for a second, she asked something completely off topic. “Hey, what should I call you now?”

_“Huh?”_ Kitty’s head popped up, confused and alert.

Marinette shrugged. “Well, your name’s not ‘Kitty’, nor is it really ‘Chat Noir’. Shouldn’t you have a real name?”

His ears drooped. _“I do have a real name, but I can’t say it. Rewrite made it so I can’t tell anyone who I am. Even though my father couldn’t understand me, I couldn’t call him ‘Father’ or say my name. Kind of makes me feel stupid thinking I could say it now, now that I think about it.”_

“Well… is there another name I can call you?” She eyed him slowly. “I mean, calling you ‘Kitty’ all the time kind of feels silly. And if anyone hears me call you ‘Chat Noir’, they’ll still look at me weirdly. Don’t you have a nickname or something?”

Kitty watched her for a moment before settling back down on her shoulder. _“Kitty’s fine. Even if I had a nickname, I don’t think I’d be able to tell it.”_

“But -”

_“How about this.”_ He seemed to purr as he spoke, his tail starting to twitch playfully. _“If I hear my name, I’ll perk up. Knee jerk reaction and all that. You see that and remember the name, and you can call me that from then on. I’ll respond to ‘Kitty’ or ‘Chat’ or even ‘Chaton’, but the only normal name I’ll react to is my own. I doubt I’ll be able to confirm it any other way. Deal?”_

Marinette pouted. “Hardly sounds like a deal.”

_“I don’t really have many other options. That I know of. Besides,”_ he eyed her with a small smirk, _“you have the most clues of anyone out there.”_

“Huh?” Now it was getting confusing again. Her brain hurt.

Kitty seemed to know it too, and chuckled silently. _“We’ll save it for another day, when you’re rested. Along with your homework.”_

She groaned. “Review worksheets. I can work on them in the morning.”

_“I’ll have Tikki help me wake you up then. Bright and early. I can actually help you with it now too.”_

Marinette smiled at the thought, her eyes getting heavier. “You really have been getting me up for school, haven’t you.”

The cat relaxed completely on her. _“It’s the least I can do for the girl who saved me.”_


	4. My Cat's a Busybody

“Marinette~ Marinette~ It’s time to get up~”

_“Mari! Marinette! Mari! Wake up!” Something was shoving her cheeks again. “Come on! You’ve had ten hours!”_

“Is she always this hard to wake up?”

_“Oh yes. She stays up late and sleeps like a rock. I thought with how early she went to bed last night, she’d be easier to wake up. But I guess the stress of everything got her to sleep even more. Mari! Wake up!”_

“Marinette~ It’s time to wake up!”

“Ugh… fine…” Marinette wrenched her eyes open, only to see a big red and black blur with big blue eyes on her right and a black blur with green eyes on her left. Kitty got a friend. A red and black friend. And they could both talk.

Slowly everything from the previous day hit her, making her groan again. So it was all real. She was now a superhero powered by a kwami and earrings. Her cat was actually a human boy under a curse whom only she could understand so long as she wore the earrings. He could also turn into a human superhero because of a ring and another black cat kwami. They were to take down Hawkmoth who had another miraculous – no idea what that piece of jewelry was – and the only way to break the curse was to catch that guy or find the akuma who cast it, Rewrite. This was her life now. And as scary as it was, and seemed yesterday, there was something less scary about it today.

She just felt too heavy to leave her warm bed. “On second thought, no. Good night.”

 _“Uh uh. You are not doing this.”_ Before she could grab her blanket and pull it over her head, Kitty chomped on the blanket’s edge and pulled it away from her grasp. Marinette gasped at the cold, now wide awake and glaring at her cat. Where did he get this attitude after last night? Kitty gave her a glare back, firm and unmoving at the foot of her bed with her blanket at his paws. _“You have school in two hours, homework from last night, and you’re a mess. Go get ready for school right now or Chloe will have a field day when she sees you in class. You don’t have to impress her, just don’t give her fuel to work with.”_

Marinette’s glare became sterner. “When did you get so mean?”

The cat rolled his eyes. _“I’ve been saying this for months. You just couldn’t hear me and thought everything was just cute cat antics. Now go take a shower. I’ll look at your worksheets and see where I can help you out.”_

With that, her kitty leapt off her bed and towards her desk where her homework lay forgotten. Tikki giggled near Marinette’s head. “He really cares about you, Marinette.”

The teen whined. “But I want to sleep.”

“Caring about someone doesn’t mean doing what they want all the time. It means doing what’s best for them, even when they don’t want it.” The kwami’s smile seemed to get bigger as she nudged her shoulder. “Now come on. You really do need a shower. I’ll help you pick something out for the day. We need to do what we can before Plagg gets up and starts making a mess.”

That made her hesitant. “Will he really make a mess? Oh gosh, I can’t take a cat to school, let alone two! Kitty’s fine on his own, but if Plagg’s that much trouble -”

“Don’t worry. I’m certain Chat will keep him in line.” Tikki’s confidence didn’t put her at ease, but Marinette appreciated the effort. She sighed and got out of bed, checking the clock briefly before going downstairs to make herself presentable. Her kwami stayed with her until the shower, helping by carrying small objects and keeping her awake with chatter. The strange bug was just trying to be friendly, giving her warnings about Plagg while reassuring her Kitty could handle it, but she snuck in some of her own preferences for the future here and there. By the time she made it back to her desk of homework and dread, head wet and mostly presentable, Marinette had a hunch her new friend was not as innocent as her big eyes said she was. Though mostly earnest and kind, there were a few barbs and warnings of what could happen if she gave up the earrings. Between her kitty staying cursed forever and Paris, if not the world, falling into chaos, Marinette pretty much gave up the idea of getting rid of the earrings at school today.

Honestly, after hearing Kitty beg for her help and knowing he’d sacrifice himself for her, the temptation wasn’t really there anymore. Tikki did not need to lay it on so thick.

Kitty looked up to her from the corner of his eye before looking at her square on. She always thought it was weird before, but now, knowing he was a human boy under a curse, it sort of made sense. Kitty was being a good boy and giving her privacy. She smiled and reached to pet his head like always before stopping herself. He cocked his head to the side, curious. _“What’s wrong? Is there something on my head?”_

“No… um…” Marinette watched him awkwardly. How did she put this… “Is… is it really alright? I mean… Does… does it feel… demeaning? If I…”

This was too weird.

Kitty continued to watch her in confusion while Tikki giggled. “I think she wants to know if it’s alright to pet you.”

The cat blinked at her, bewildered. _“Why wouldn’t it be? I never shied away from it before. Are…”_ He looked up to her, eyes wide and pitiful and ears flat. _“Are you not going to pet me anymore? Just because I’m a boy?”_

“Iiiiiiieeee…..” Now she’d done it. Marinette’s mind went into overdrive. “It’s just… You’re a boy and not a cat, but you’re also a cat and cats get petted a lot because they’re cute and love being petted, or at least most of them do, but since you’re actually a boy, and boys wouldn’t want to be treated like pets or thought of as cute, I just thought it’d be a little inappropriate for me to be petting you all the time, especially since you always take care to never see me naked. Oh my gosh! I tried to take a bath with you! That must have been so humiliating! No wonder you fought me the entire time! I just thought cats didn’t like water and -”

A high and loud laugh rang in her ears, cutting off her ramble. She snapped a glare at the source and pouted in frustration. “Don’t laugh, Kitty! I’m seriously worried about this! You’re a boy and I completely humiliated you! Humiliated myself too! I never should have tried to give you a bath!”

 _“I thought you got that through your head when I scratched you!”_ Kitty kept laughing at her, doing his best to not fall off the desk. Come to think of it, she saw him like this around her a lot. All this time he was laughing at her! To think he was the same cat who licked her wounds sadly almost immediately after making them. Uh! He was such a weird cat!

Eventually, he calmed down, smiling his catty smile at her. _“Sorry, didn’t mean to offend you. Truth be told, I love it when you pet me. Don’t ever stop.”_

“Really?” Marinette wasn’t entirely sold on this. For all she knew, getting his head petted was like kissing or a love confession to cats.

_“Really. It’s a lot like when someone pats your head or messes your hair. It’s harmless physical affection, and I love it. You don’t need to ask me if I want it. I’ll take it every time you offer.”_

She eyed him slowly. There had to be something she was doing wrong with her kitty. “Okay… ear scratching?”

_“Kind of like a scalp massage. Very comfortable, very relaxing.”_

“Chin scratch.”

_“Another kind of massage. And I think there’s a gland near there you’re helping out too.”_

“Full back pet.”

_“Like when your mamam rubs your back when you’re feeling down. Soothing and heaven. Also like a massage.”_

“Handshake?”

_“It’s a handshake.”_

“Belly rub!”

 _“No.”_ Kitty’s ears went flat and his eyes narrowed on her. _“Never liked that. Gets to close to areas I don’t want touched, and I’m really ticklish there. I reserve my right to scratch and hiss at you if you try to rub my belly again. Shouldn’t we be working on your homework? It looks easy enough.”_

Done with the subject, Kitty, in a very cat-like manner, turned back to the papers he was looking over. How did he get them out of her bag anyway? Marinette stayed where she was, still contemplating her cat. Was he even her cat? This was starting to get confusing. Seeing she wasn’t following him, Kitty sighed. _“Look, I’m completely fine with keeping things the way they’ve been for so long. I can’t take real care of myself, so… I’m technically still your pet. My pride went away a long time ago, at least in regards to that. And I’m okay with it. It’s been a year, Mari. A year started with my father kicking me to the curb. You remember how you found me. All the good in my life since is because of you. So keep doing what you’ve been doing. I won’t hate you for it._

 _“Just no belly rubs or cat costumes. And no catnip. I really don’t want to get high like that again.”_ Kitty seemed to shiver at the memory, getting her to giggle a bit. He cast her an annoyed glare from the corner of his eye before focusing on the homework again. _“All I really wanted was someone who could hear me, and I’m grateful that’s you. So pet me all you want. I won’t be offended. Just don’t ignore what I have to say, especially since I just want to help out.”_

“Okay, Kitty.” She ran a hand over his head and rubbed it affectionately. He purred and seemed to smile, getting her to giggle again. Even though he just acted indignant, he was still a cuddly kitty. “So where should we start?”

(^._.^)/ 

Marinette was convinced whoever Kitty was before she found him was a massive nerd. A massive hardworking nerd. A massive hardworking, teacher’s pet kind of nerd. A massive hardworking, teacher’s pet, perfectionist nerd. And he definitely read her textbooks last term.

He didn’t let her leave the room until she got each and every worksheet finished. And he looked over each one carefully as she ate breakfast, devouring his own quickly before pointing out each of her mistakes on her homework. Kitty never would let her miss an assignment again, and it tired her out already. 

Sighing, she hung over her desk and listened to Alya talk about her first time meeting a superhero and watching them in action. “You know, I’m thinking of writing a blog about them. The… The Ladyblog! That’s perfect! I’ll post pictures and articles and every video I can find of them!”

“But what if it was a one-off thing?” It probably wouldn’t be, since if it were, Kitty would stay her cat forever, and Tikki already said the curse on him came from a future akuma so they’d have to still be fighting the akumas in the future for that to happen. Right? “What if Ladybug and her partner are done?”

“Pft! Yeah right! I know things are just beginning.” Alya fingered through the shots she gathered yesterday and grinned. “Partners, huh? I’m pretty sure Ladybug is the brains of the operations though. That trick with the wet-suit? Brilliant! I just don’t see the catboy coming up with something so clever. He’s more like the brawn of the duo. He needs a name too…”

Oh. Right. He didn’t stick around to talk to her so no one else got his name. Marinette tried to look puzzled and being interested and helpful as she made an obvious suggestion. “Don’t superheroes usually pick a name people can guess? Something linked to their costumes or powers?”

“Usually.”

“Then… how about Chat Noir?” Marinette picked Ladybug, and that’s what he called himself yesterday, and the name Tikki still called him since he popped up. It was super obvious and the local news may have picked it for him as well by now.

Alya seemed to think it over before nodding. “Black Cat… Yeah, that works. Chat Noir, Ladybug’s muscle man!”

Marinette nearly choked in the thought. Her kitty? A muscle man? Yeah right! “Come on! I don’t think he’s just all muscles in this duo.”

Her new friend shook her head. “That’s exactly what he is. You didn’t see him at the fight. He seemed to waste his power, somehow, then just kept trying to fight him head on! Fine as a distraction, but a strategist, he is not.”

“That was their first time! Maybe they were just starting things and didn’t know how to work together yet. Or use their powers.” She was getting too into the debate, probably outing herself, but she really did not want people to think the cat that grilled her on her homework that morning was all muscles and no brains the second he turned human. Kitty would probably claw their faces or something if he heard this. “Everyone makes mistakes. It’s too early to say who and what they are, Alya.”

Alya seemed to consider this for a moment before conceding. “I guess… But we don’t even know if this was their first time. Maybe their first time in public or as a team, but until I get an interview with them, I can’t rule out anything.

“This is going to be so much fun!”

A pit of worry started to grow in Marinette’s stomach. Though it was great to see her friend so passionate and excited over something, couldn’t it be over something less dangerous? And not just the physical danger, but dangerous for her and he peaceful lifestyle? Between all the new people around her, Marinette knew she’d have to invest in headache and stomach medicine.

So caught up in the drama and dread of having to work extra hard to hide her superhero identity from her new friend, she didn’t see Ivan being sent to the principal’s office or anything leading to it. Trying to calm her worry down, she just waited for her name to be called on the roll with everyone else the second Ms. Bustier started. The door and walls around it crashing in when the boy was called jolted her from her seat and got her cowering under her desk within seconds. This was just not her week.

Ivan the Golem grabbed Mylene and Chloe before bulldozing out of the building, making her whimper as her new friend ran after him, phone in hand. If Kitty weren’t her kitty, Marinette would have handed the earrings and Tikki to Alya right there, damn the consequences. She was not made for this!

Didn’t she already defeat this akuma?!

And dang it! She hadn’t even turned in her homework yet!

(^o.o^)/


	5. My Cat Needs My Help

Marinette ran up to her bedroom while everyone else in her class ran as far from the danger as possible. Well, most of them. Alya ran straight after Ivan, Mylene, and Chloe, her phone recording every detail. Marinette played it up as if she was terrified for others, but…

The second she popped into her bedroom, she looked for her cat. “Kitty! Ivan was re-”

“ _Plagg! Stay away from the knitting!_ ”

“Meh. Party-pooper. Where’s my cheese anyway?” A blur of black darted away from her knitting basket at the same time Kitty leapt on top of it. The cat fumbled out of the yarn balls and darted after the blur once again. “I’m starving over here!”

“ _Mari left you three cheese sticks and a danish. There’s no way you’re still hungry!_ ” Kitty leapt from one of her chairs to her small sink, cornering Plagg above her bar of soap. “ _And that’s not edible! It’s soap and it’s gross!_ ”

“Then why does it look like cheese?” It was a bit of a stretch, but even she could see the similarities. Plagg sighed dramatically. “Seriously, without my Camembert, I will wither away and die!”

“ _I’ll find some way to get you some, but you have to be patient!_ ” The bigger cat shook his head. “ _Maybe we can find some outside Chloe’s hotel. You don’t seem to mind trash._ ”

“If you think I want second-hand cheese, you’ve got another thing -”

“Why are you two fighting!” Marinette’s harsh whisper got both of their attention instantly. Tikki was already out and groaning at her unrepentant counterpart while Kitty had the wisdom to look shamefaced. “Can’t I leave you alone for an hour?”

“ _Plagg was -_ ”

“I don’t care what Plagg did right now. We’ve got a major problem.” If she had the time or the patience to deal with whatever was going on, she probably would have listened a little more to her cat, but she didn’t. “Ivan was reakumatized and took Mylene and Chloe towards the Eiffel Tower.”

Kitty’s eyes widened dangerously. “ _What?_ ”

“I said -”

“ _No, I mean,_ ” Kitty leapt out of the sink and started pacing towards her, “ _a person can be reakumatized? How?_ ”

“He probably became angry again over whatever happened before,” Tikki suggested. “Just because you were akumatized once doesn’t mean you can’t be akumatized again. Same with akuma’s spells. You can be under more than one, and I think even a few at the same time.”

“ _Are we immune to akumas at all?_ ”

Kitty’s questions made Marinette’s stomach plummet. Oh no. If they could get akumatized, then Paris was doomed! She could just see herself turned into a hideous beast and forced to attack people for no good reason and no one would be able to stop her or get her to purify anything! They really needed to get a zen master or a Buddhist monk to be Ladybug. They never panicked or got mad or seriously upset! She was just a teenaged girl with a mind that went a mile a minute on good days and several thousand whenever anything went even remotely wrong! And things always went wrong for her. Just in that moment, she could feel the panic building and -

“Yes and no.” Tikki interrupted her anxious thoughts, answering the question quickly. “Akumas only strike humans, but can affect animals if they’re connected to a victim emotionally. Animals themselves can’t be akumatized. And the Miraculous can help you stay focused, preventing an attack, but it really depends on you and your emotional state. Being Ladybug or Chat Noir makes it harder for the akuma to control you, but it isn’t impossible for you to be taken over.”

“Sheesh, and they call me cruel.” Plagg floated right next to Kitty as Tikki’s explanation sunk in. “Look, Nooroo’s guy can’t akumatize anymore than one at a time. Keep a level head and you’re fine. Plus you’re both stubborn idiots. He’d have a hard time getting you to do anything but pick your nose.”

“PLAGG!”

“Pretty sure we still have an akuma to take care of, right Pigtails?” The kitty kwami looked up to a stone Marinette, still grasping at her sanity. Okay, so she and… well mostly just her… could get akumatized, but it’d be hard to do. People could be akumatized again too. This was not going to be easy in the slightest. Oh why did she have to have a personal stake in all of this? Slowly she nodded, getting a grin from the floating cat. “Okay then. But on the way back, can we please get some Camembert? I’ll eat a lot less of your stuff if I just get my favorite cheese, and I seriously need a fast recharge.”

“He does shut up faster with it,” Tikki admitted, though still not happy about it. 

Marinette lightly held her head before nodding. This was starting to be too much for her again. “I’ll buy what I can. Let’s just save Mylene and Ivan from the akuma.”

“ _And Chloe, right?_ ”

Did Kitty have to remember her? She nodded again. “Chloe too.”

“ _Alright. Plagg,_ ” Kitty looked at his Kwami, almost grinning, “ _claws out!_ ”

Electric green light flashed over her cat, replacing him with a blond boy taller than him in a black bodysuit with a zipper. Marinette blinked several times, trying to get used to his sudden appearance. His challenging grin forced her to start breathing a little more. “So, which way to the akuma, milady?”

\\(^._.^)

A magical swarm of ladybugs filled the Paris sky, dazzling onlookers as they fixed everything the akuma ‘Stoneheart’ broke, along with a certain catboy hero. Marinette couldn’t help but look in every direction as they flew around them, lost in their glory. She did this? She could do all of this as Ladybug? Maybe, just maybe, there was something else to look forward to with these powers other than saving people she cared about.

“It’s just… Miraculous…”

“Yeah…”

As Ladybug, she looked to her partner also scanning the skies in awe. He probably never saw anything like it either, and as he watched it, she could tell Chat Noir loved the sight just as much as she did. She was just lucky they could work so well together and the magic wasn’t also fixing Ivan and Mylene’s bodies because of their mistakes.

Speaking of which, Ladybug turned to Mylene and handed her the lyrics the akuma used to control Ivan. “Here. Maybe you should read what Ivan wrote. It’ll be a lot clearer.”

Leaving the budding couple alone – she was sure to get the details from class tomorrow anyway – she looked to her partner and tapped his shoulder. “We should get going. The timers are running out.”

“I know,” he grinned at her, “I just wanted to savor the sight a lit- !!”

Instantly he stiffened, his eyes growing wide in alarm, looking just past her in the sky. His hackles raised a second later, eyes narrowing slightly into a livid glare as a growl escaped his clenched teeth. Before she could ask what was going on, Chat Noir shot past her and into the air, claws raised to strike. Ladybug jerked around in time to see a lady disappear in a puff of blue dust just before Chat could land a blow. What in the - “Chat!”

The hero landed and rolled to stop his momentum before turning and glaring wrath at the spot dust still drifted from. The pure rage on his face made her take a step back. What happened to the cute, lovable kitten she took in last year? “Wh… what are you -”

“Dammit!” Growling, he looked around wildly before looking back to her, desperate. “Did you see where she went! Where did she -”

“Chat! Calm down!” Seeing a bit of panic on his face, Ladybug ran to his side and looked over to the crowd, starting to get even more confused. They definitely ruined a sweet moment for her classmates too. In a hushed tone, she snapped a little at him. “What are you doing? You just -”

“Rewrite!”

She stopped, her heart stopping with her. What?

Frantic, Chat ran his hands through his hair, barely missing both sets of ears. “She was right there! She was here! Writing in her notebook again! Right behind you! I couldn’t just -”

He stopped himself, anger going to fear as he held his head and struggled for words. Ladybug could only guess how he felt, and it hurt. A lot. Rewrite, the akuma who turned him into a cat, had returned. Behind her. Ready to strike again. To strike her. This time-traveling akuma could strike at any time, and disappear in an instant.

The only things saving Marinette from her so far was her secret identity and her kitty.

Taking a breath, she heard her earring chirp loudly and getting her refocused on what had to be done, asap. “Thank you, Kitty. Thanks for saving me. But we’ve got to bug out, now. C’mon.”

She extended a hand to him, encouraging him to move forward if only a little. Chat Noir looked at her hand for a second, before forcing himself to relax and take it. Ladybug shot off her yoyo and both of them flew through the sky and out of the crowd’s sight. They didn’t make it too far before the final chirping from both of their Miraculous sounded, but it was far enough to drop into a hidden alleyway and let the magic fade. Within a minute, they were just a girl and her cat, alone on the streets of Paris.

Well, alone with two hungry floating all-powerful beings who gave them powers but that was beside the point right then.

“Feed me.”

Well, mostly.

“Plagg! Can you think of something other than food for five minutes?” Tikki’s exasperation seemed a bit much to Marinette at the moment, but she didn’t have so many hundreds of years with the cat of destruction either.

“But I’m starving!” Plagg pouted like a put-out kitten, not about to relent. “It takes a lot of energy to reconfigure steal structures and keep a person human. That akuma spell is pretty tricky to get around.”

Thinking of the akuma, Marinette watched her cat, not participating in the debate at all and instead looked at the ground, very troubled. It was hard to tell what he was feeling actually. His back was to all of them and he sat without any movements whatsoever. Troubled was the easiest way to describe him, but there had to be more to it. The source of all his pain was right in front of them and was gone again in an instant.

“Kitty,” she started, unsure what to say, “are you alright?”

Kitty didn’t answer at first, then slowly shook his head. “ _As much as I can be._ ”

All three of them seemed to watch the cat in silence, trying to figure out what to do or say next. What exactly did you do for someone who was just a hair’s breath away from being released from a curse, only for the chance to vanish? Should she say anything at all? Kitty wasn’t normal to begin with, but she wouldn’t have a clue what to say or do even if he was. Marinette didn’t even get a good look at the akuma so she wasn’t any help in tracking her down. The only thing she could do, as far as she knew, was keep being Ladybug and make more chances to get the villain later.

But did that really help now?

Hesitant, Marinette reached out to Kitty, wanting to pet all his worries away. She stopped short of touching him and pulled back. Did he want that? Is that what he needed? Did he need space? What was she supposed to do? She looked towards Tikki, hoping she had some idea, only for Plagg to fly forward and bounce off his head. “Hey! I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat. How do you like cheese?”

Somehow, the cat seemed to lose some of his tension. “ _I really shouldn’t have any. Not as a cat at least._ ”

“Lame. How about some fish then? Or some Taiyaki! That stuff was tasty. I bet you can have the one with sweet potatoes. And I’ll take the cheese ones!” The destructo-cat was almost drooling at the idea. “Oh Camembert Taiyaki… that just heaven!”

Kitty chuckled lightly. “ _You’d have to do to Japan to get some. We’re in France.”_

“Big deal. I bet Pigtails’ mom knows how to make some.”

“ _She’s Chinese, not Japanese. Different food preferences entirely._ " 

“She can still cook, right?” Plagg leaned to the side a bit, looking over Kitty’s head to Marinette. “Hey Pigtails! Think you or your mom could whip up some Taiyaki? Or something like that?”

Not quite getting what was going on, Marinette folded her arms and glared at the kwami. “What even is it? And don’t act like I should know. I may be half Chinese, but that doesn’t mean I even know how to cook Chinese food, let alone food from other Asian countries. I spent all my life here! And my name’s Marinette, Plagg.”

“ _It’s a fish-shaped pastry with filling, usually a sweetened red soybean paste, but honestly it can be filled with anything._ ” Kitty looked over to her, eyes saddened but trying to smile. Maybe all he really needed was a distraction?

Well, she could do that too. “And how do you know this?”

“ _I watch a lot of anime. Who do you think put your family’s TV onto Sailor Moon a few months back?_ ” She always did wonder who left the TV on that – not that she hated the show or anything, it was just weird. He raised a paw and somehow petted Plagg’s head before turning completely to Marinette. “ _Don’t worry about it, Marinette. We don’t need to have Taiyaki. Plagg’s just being a little demanding._ ”

“Hmph! Well, I still want some Camembert.” Plagg turned away in a huff, folding his arms and pouting dramatically, but they all knew there was no anger there. His tail twitched too pleasantly to be mad. “I’m starving. And you won’t get another cataclysm out of me without it.”

“We’ll work on it. Come on Kitties. We need to head home before…” Donning came to Marinette’s face. “Oh crap! There’s going to be afternoon classes! We have to get back before they realize I’m gone!”

“ _Then we don’t have a moment to lose._ ” Kitty turned and headed out of the alleyway before stopping and looking back, a little sheepish. “ _Um… which way is it? I really don’t get out much._ ”

“We’ll have to fix that. Come on.” Quickly she picked up her cat as the kwamis disappeared into her bag. Thankfully she had an hour before the next set of classes started, but that was an hour she had to get home, eat lunch, and sneak her cat back into her room without getting -

“Marinette!”

Caught.

Instantly the girl froze, then turned to see her new friend. “Alya! What are you doing here?”

Alya grinned as she ran up to her, waving her phone around excitedly. “Just got back from recording Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting Stoneheart again. Do you think that Hawkmoth character can only make him into a monster? That’d be so lame.”

“ _Not to mention bad for Ivan,_ ” Kitty muttered. Alya only heard meows, but it caught her attention. She blinked at him for a moment as Marinette tried to cover for him.

“Yeah, and not so great for Ivan either. Let’s hope that’s not the case.” Especially since she did not want to fight her classmate a million times over. Course, Plagg said Hawkmoth could only change one person at a time and they knew one day Rewrite would be one of those people, so the likelihood of only fighting Ivan was slim to none.

“Cute cat, Marinette.” Without asking, Alya started scratching him behind his ears, getting a delicate purr from Kitty. “Where did you find him? Is he yours?”

“Uh, yeah! This is Kitty.” She carefully brought him a little closer to her friend, trying to remember what he said that morning about appropriate actions. This was okay, right? “I found him about a year ago at the school and took him in. He’s very friendly and tame.”

“ _And a real boy but we won’t get into that. Oh yeah, right there._ ” Kitty was definitely enjoying this.

“Cuuutee…” Alya scratched him a little more before looking up at Marinette. “Never figured you for the black cat type. You know, they say they -”

“Are bad luck? I’ve heard.” A lot. Chloe repeated that every time Kitty appeared at school last year to bring her something she forgot. Come to think of it, he always seemed sad when Chloe scoffed at him. He really was a weird kitty.

“Actually, they’re more like carriers of luck.” At that, both Marinette and her cat stopped and stared at her in disbelief. What was that? “Different cultures have different beliefs, but overall, if a black cat likes you, you’re a very lucky person. They’re only bad luck if they hate you, but this guy seems like a sweetheart. I bet he gives you all the luck in the world, isn’t that right boy!”

Kitty just blinked at her, still surprised by the idea, and Marinette couldn’t blame him. She always thought black cats were bad luck and that fit her perfectly, but if they actually carried luck with them, then whoever the boy was behind the fur was luckier than anyone knew. Go figure.

“What’s his name anyway?” Seeing he wasn’t responding to the scratching anymore, Alya let go and gave all her attention to her friend.

Marinette blushed, still embarrassed by the name she gave him. “Kitty.”

“Kitty?” The disbelief in her voice was very predictable.

“Yep.”

“So… original…”

“He doesn’t respond to anything else!” If only Kitty could tell her his real name! “I tried a lot of names, and he never came when I called him.”

“ _You tried to name me ‘Blacky’, ‘Charcoal’, ‘Cocoa’, and ‘Shadow’._ ” Kitty’s sarcasm did not end with his voice. His eyes even screamed ‘you’re dumb’ to her. “ _Though ‘Shadow’ was the coolest of them, it’s still not my name. It’s a hedgehog._ ”

“Wow, a picky cat. Who would have guessed.” Really, these two could learn from each other with the sarcasm. Hands on her hips, Alya shook her head. “We’ll come up with something for him soon enough. Anyway, I wanted to show you what I recorded for my blog! And guess what! That other hero’s name really is Chat Noir! Way to go Mari!”

“Can you show me on the way to school?” They were running short of time now and her anxiety was building. “I also need to run a few errands and drop off Kitty at home. He, uh, kind of ran off when the akuma attacked. We live right next to the school and -”

“ _Cat runs off during an akuma attack._ ” Kitty’s murmur as he shifted slightly in her arms didn’t derail the conversation for a second. “ _I think we’ve got you a good alibi, Ladybug._ ”

(^._.^)~

“ _Claws out._ ”

Green light flashed in the room just as Marinette finished her homework. It was time for bed, so why was Chat Noir transformed? “Kitty, what are you doing?”

Chat looked somewhere else for a moment before smiling at her. “I’m going out on patrol.”

“Patrol?” They were supposed to do patrols? Like Batman?

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Yeah, you know, patrol. To help bring crime down and stay on the lookout for akumas.”

Tikki piped up, not entirely happy with the idea. “You don’t have to do that, Chat. Hawkmoth is actually looking for you so keeping a low profile is better.”

“Besides, it’s late.” Marinette did not want to go on patrol. She wanted to sleep! Saving Paris was exhausting, and that did not include school. “We really should get some sleep.”

“You need your rest, Chat. Plagg does too, and -”

“I wasn’t suggesting we both went out.” Chat walked towards the trapdoor leading out and unlocked it, ignoring their suggestions. “Just me. I still need to get to know Paris, so this will help. And honestly, I got enough rest when you were at school. There’s not a lot to do when you’re gone and I’m locked up here.

“I just need to get out for a bit, okay?” He looked over to them, trying to convince them to just let him go. “I’ll be back before midnight, Princess, and I may even find a way to get Plagg more cheese. Just leave the door unlocked and I’ll try not to wake you when I come back. Kay?”

Marinette wasn’t too sure about this, but there was a plea in his voice she couldn’t ignore. Sighing, she nodded. “Just be careful, Kitty. And don’t come back with a dead mouse or something.”

Chat laughed, his mood lightened enough to relieve her at last. He was a little depressed all day, or at least since missing Rewrite. She really preferred the happy kitty she adopted. “Sure thing, Mari. Goodnight Tikki!”

“Goodnight.” Tikki’s goodbye was followed with Chat disappearing out the roof and into the night. She sighed. “You know, he’s not just going to go on patrol to explore.”

Marinette pushed away from her desk and turned off that lamp, nodding to herself. “I know, but really, is there anything else we can do for him?”

This seemed to silence the kwami, who sighed again. “I hope we catch Rewrite soon. She’s likely to become an obsession, and an obsessed Chat Noir is never a good thing.”

“I hope we catch her soon too.” As Marinette turned off her lights and crawled into bed, she tried to figure out her new world just a little more. Today was exhausting and her bed was so welcoming. It did feel a little lonely though without her Kitty to hold or hear his purrs as she drifted off. She was going to miss her Kitty a lot in the future, she just knew it, but not near as much as whoever lost the boy he was before. For their sakes, they had to get Rewrite soon.

~(^-_-^)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the setup! Hope you liked it, because this is gonna be a fun AU.  
> So, I am very willing to share this with others if certain rules are followed. And the main reason I'm willing to share is... there are certain characters and akumas I have no idea how to tie into this. ^^; not a single clue.  
> And the Rules!  
> 1 - Episodes where Adrien/Chat could get jealous are off-limits. I have outlines for Evilistrator, Copy Cat, Animan (Nino's non-date specifically) and Luka interaction eps so they are coming in separate fics.  
> 2 - Episodes where Gabriel is heavily involved are off-limits. I have mostly a Gabriel/Chat centered story idea within this world, including the resolution. Which goes into -  
> 3 - Do not end the series. I know I may take forever getting to the resolution, but it will be very satisfying so wait for it. I have a lot of titles to work on so bear with me. Though the akuma Rewrite can be in the fic (and I would love some ideas for character designs), she shouldn't have a large part in it nor be taken down. Best to also avoid using Gabriel until I have a fair portion of this version of him set up.  
> 4 - Never have the story from Adrien/Chat/Kitty's perspective. It'll be hard, but it will be fun. Anyone else is free game. Think of it as a writing exercise.  
> 5 - Keep it clean. Nothing M-rated or horribly OOC language will be acknowledged as part of this AU. The romance needs to stay at the level it is in the show. Though darker themes are allowed, let's not get ahead of ourselves. If you keep it to the same level I have it here, I'm happy.  
> 6 - Keep it close to canon. The closer it is to the source material, the more creative you have to be with the AU. Hence my problem with Adrien's other love interests in this series. :/  
> 7 - Keep it within the limits of the setup canon I have here: Mari cannot know his real name until I say otherwise and neither can anyone else, only those with Miraculous can hear him when he's a cat, kwamis are as helpful as always in the series, and Adrien is consistently a cinnamon roll teenaged boy in a cat's body.  
> 8 - Most of all, have fun. That's the point of everything.  
> Abide by these rules and I'll add you to the collection. PM me so I can take a look at it and tag it as part of the Rewrite AU. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Until then, see you next Miraculous Monday! ^^v

**Author's Note:**

> See you next Miraculous Monday! ^^V


End file.
